Monica Vaughn has won both the Oregon Women's Amateur championship and the Oregon Junior Amateur Championship; she's been named a First-Team All-American and has earned a top-5 finish at the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships; and she's currently a top-20 ranked amateur golfer in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). And, she's only 21 years old. 

However, her top achievement thus far in her amateur golf career may be the 2016 Curtis Cup, where her and seven other top women amateurs from the United States will face off against eight of the top women's amateur golfers from Great Britain and Ireland, June 10-12 at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club in Enniskerry, Ireland.

A Reedsport, Ore. native, Vaughn has represented Oregon, the OGA and the Pacific Northwest with her stellar play. Now, she will represent her country in one of the more prestigious events that an amateur golfer can compete in.

We were able to catch up with Monica before she departed for the upcoming Curtis Cup - 

OGA: What was your reaction when you found out that you made the Curtis Cup team?

Monica Vaughn: I was so excited when I found out I made the team that I actually started crying (!) over the phone with the President of the USGA, Diana Murphy. I had worked so hard the previous months before being named to the team and it felt like a complete victory. I called my mom right away to tell her and even she started crying in the grocery store! It was a very special moment for my family and I.

OGA: Is your mindset any different going into the Curtis Cup with the format of the competition - given that it's team-oriented, as well as being played overseas?

Vaughn: Yes, and no. Of course I will have to get adjusted to the time difference and weather conditions, along with the team format. Some of the girls I still haven’t even played with yet. But, I know that I will be a great contribution to my team if I focus on my game and what I know how to do so well. I’m really looking forward to the excitement and energy of playing with the other girls. We will all play our best if we focus on our games, but also pump each other up and get excited and have fun out on the course.

OGA: You're the oldest member of the squad - have you found yourself in more of a leadership position among the group because of it?  

Vaughn: Again, yes and no. This group of girls, as young as they are, have almost as much if not the same amount of experience as I do. They definitely all have more experience playing in these type of team events, since they have all played with each other before. I know that we can all learn from each other and can all be leaders out on the course. My role as a leader is to be there for my team, to be there if they need me and to give them guidance and advice if they ask for it, but to also go out and give it my all, to grind it out and never give up on the course. I think that’s one of the best things that I can show these girls is that we are no longer individuals when we step on the first tee, we are a team, we win or lose together. That’s one of the main things I’ve learned playing college golf and I hope I can carry that onto this team.

OGA: What are you looking forward to most out of being a part of this year's Curtis Cup?    

Vaughn: I’m really looking forward to traveling overseas (I’ve never been to Europe) and just being a part of the amazing history of the Curtis Cup. I feel so lucky and honored to have been selected to represent my country and my university and I just hope to soak it all in and live in the moment. I look forward to being with my team and captain and my family and coach. And I definitely look forward to holding that trophy when we win!

OGA: How have your past experiences and successes (NCAA golf, Oregon Am, OGA/USGA events, etc.) shaped your amateur golf career thus far?

Vaughn: This one is kind of tough to answer. All of my success would not have been possible if it were not for the endless love and support of my family and my coaches at ASU. It’s not so much my successes that have shaped me or my amateur career but the people that I’ve been surrounded by over the years. If I had no one to share it with, then they would not be experiences or successes. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to go to school in a place that I can work on my game using amazing facilities and tools to help me succeed, and I am grateful to have parents that helped me and practiced with me for countless hours. None of this could have been possible without them.

OGA: Eugene, Ore. native and University of Oregon golfer Caroline Inglis is the second alternate for the team - what was it like having a fellow Oregonian at the practice sessions prior to the team being announced?

Vaughn: Caroline and I have been friends for years and it was so much fun having her at the practice in San Diego! We always have a lot of fun together and have gotten to know each other so well over the years when we played in OGA events together. It would have been really cool to have two Oregonians on the team, and I am sad she did not make it. She is a great player with a lot of great opportunities in front of her and I wish her all the best!

OGA: What are your plans for the rest of summer, after the Curtis Cup?

Vaughn: My family and I are actually going to London for a week after Curtis Cup and then I am playing in the British Ladies Amateur Championship in Scotland after that. Then I’ll fly right back to Arizona and I hope to explore the state I’ve lived in the past three years and do some sight seeing! I will take a little time off from golf to relax and be with friends, and in August I will be playing in the U.S. [Women's] Amateur Championship in Pennsylvania.